Airtel is gearing up to take on Reliance JioFiber by offering free Android set-top-box and HD LED TV to the users.

After the price vs data war, telecom operators are now looking at disrupting the broadband and TV space. Reliance JioFiber is all set for commercial launch on September 5 and incumbent operators like Airtel, isn’t leaving any stone unturned to give a tough competition.

Airtel is looking to bundle a customized Android-based smart set-top-box to offer users with digital entertainment, in addition to fast broadband services. It is aimed to counter Reliance JioFiber offering. Airtel is also looking at integrated tariff packs, aimed at home broadband, DTH and postpaid mobile users.

Airtel set-top-box bundle offer

A report on ET also hints at Airtel looking to bundle a free HD LED TV along with a set-top-box. It is likely that the bundle offer will be a part of the premium tariff plans. The report also claims that Airtel is internally testing integrated billing system in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh. The nationwide operation of the same plan could go live as early as next month.

“Airtel has sizeable customer numbers across its post-paid mobile, home broadband and DTH platforms…The objective is to use hardware resources and leverage existing customer relationships across the three lines of business to take an integrated view of the consumer to grow the company’s base of users opting for higher revenue-generating converged telecom services,” a person familiar with the matter told ET.

Features of Airtel’s upcoming set-top-box

The set-top-box that we are talking about in this report will likely be powered by Android 9 Pie OS. It will offer access to premium OTT content, include streaming apps and HD TV channels. It will also include interactive gaming services. All this is in addition to high-speed broadband with speeds up to 100Mbps on higher priced plans. As of now, there is no word on the pricing and release date.